Business processes and workflows are typically managed using multiple forms of communications and organization. For example, e-mail is commonly used to inform individuals associated with a business workflow of the occurrence of important events and required actions. In other instances the communications are verbal. Project management software is used to specify the various steps, or tasks, to be performed and to track the completion of these steps. Workflow software packages exist but are not integrated with the user's e-mail, other software or the user's Workplace. No common form of workflow management exists that centralizes, stores and tracks all communications for practical oversight of the workflow.
When a problem arises with a workflow, a typical response includes contacting individuals responsible for different tasks to determine details of the problem, to determine what actions are being taken to correct the problem and to determine what activity preceded and/or caused the problem. Individuals responsible for the workflow or a step or task in the workflow may review numerous written communications, such as status reports and e-mails, to find relevant information. In some instances the audit process may prove fruitless as there may not be any recorded information that relates to the problem. In other instances it can be difficult to determine who performed a step and when the step was performed.
Weblogs can be used to track the status of a workflow and serve as an easily accessible central repository for all workflow-related materials such as posts, comments, data, documents, links and the like. Normally, weblogs are viewable to anyone having access to the web and are thus publicly available. Users can read the weblog and post entries to the weblog. In a workplace environment or other business setting, however, where teams collaborate using a weblog as a centralized means of communication, the availability of the weblog to outsiders can sacrifice the confidentiality of work product and team building. Confidentiality can be lost even though the weblog may be available only through a company intranet if the weblog is viewable to employees within the company who are not involved in the workflow.